Unfortunately we can’t just refuse to support IE 6. We recently did an analysis of browser usage for a number of our ecommerce clients. 30% of their customers are using IE 6 (or older) versions. With that many customers still using this obsolete browser we are obligated to make our clients’ sites work on IE 6. Arghhhh.

What we need is a concerted, grass roots effort to inform these users about the benefits of upgrading, but it will probably take the support of major service providers, like Google, to force the issue. Please join the effort to “bring down IE 6.”

The Title Tag. Yes that’s right that little blue bar at the top of your browser. This is also the main headline served up in the search results.The best way to conceptualize this situation is to think of the Search Engines as having a checklist of criteria that your website must have to rank for a certain phrase. One of the first things that is taken into account is your URL or actual web address.

So if you are still building this out or plan to in the future make sure you get your keywords in there first. Next, when constructing your title tag, it is important to note that having a unique title tag for each of your pages is the best way for the engines to differentiate all of the pages within your site. If all of your pages were to have the same title tag you may miss out on getting your entire site indexed in the search engine results.

Finally, different search engines display a different number of characters in your browser as well as the search results. So understanding the intricacies of each will be beneficial to your specific strategy. To my knowledge this is the current breakdown of the different search engines and how they serve up Title Tags. Please note this is only “display characters”. I believe Google will read as many characters as you place in the title tag. However it is not best practice to cram this area with content.

So now that you know how different engines serve up title tags differently you should base your strategy accordingly. At eXclusive Concepts, we typically keep the tag at 75 characters and under. To better accommodate all 3 engines. But this is just the beginning. You must now determine what you are going to say in the title tag. This is a very crucial step. Do your research and find terms that you feel best describe what this page is about, while still using keywords that will bring you traffic. Google’s adwords keyword tool is a good way to get a rough approximation of search queries for a term. However you may need to do a little more research to determine competition on these keywords.

It is important to remember just because you have the term you want to rank for in the URL and the title tag this does not mean you are going to be ranked on the first page. It’s just one step closer to being optimized. Having a good gauge on your competition will be one of the best barometers of your ability to rank for a term. Some SEO firms may even have in-house programs that they use to determine competition levels; these can be most helpful when constructing a proper title tag as well as fully optimizing the foundation of a website.

By Joe Mesgleski
Jr. Web Marketer @ eXclusive Concepts, Inc.

“The lesson for e-tailers: They, too, can reap rewards from managing demand — in their case, by segmenting customers according to how they want their goods delivered. People who shop online can differ greatly in what they’re willing to pay for delivery, and how flexible they can be on the time and date, when they have to be home to receive the package. If e-tailers adjust their fees and delivery options accordingly, they can not only increase revenue but also efficiency.”

Read it here.

Think of your Yahoo Store as a construction site. You can’t build a house from the roof down. It needs to be carefully and meticulously thought out. Who do I want to come to my store? How are they searching and who are my competitors? A foundation should be set with Search Engine Optimization. Let us do the research and see where you can compete. SEO is where you lay the foundation for all future marketing initiatives.

“Allin, is that all I need to do to be competitive? There must be something after the Foundation SEO project”

My answer is of course. Search Engine Optimization is an ongoing project. However, there isn’t a cookie cutter solution for your Yahoo! Store. Your business goals and the competitiveness of your market space determine your next steps. Content is king so you should always be adding unique content to your site. If you are in a competitive market link building is a necessity. Just as in the brick and mortar world reputation and authority matter. Building one way links into your site builds your authority and relevancy online. At the end of the day link building can be the solution that helps you out rank your competition.

Follow these first steps and you will watch your authority rise, traffic increase and sales grow. Keep in mind that online marketing is an evolution and continuous maintenance is the key to your success. Don’t let your Yahoo Store hit a wall; talk to one of our strategist who will outline a game plan for you.

I recently came across a post Is it a blog or website? on duct tape marketing that highlighted the emerging value of Wordpress as a web tool. Users are utilizing Wordpress’ capability as a CMS to bypass the technical expertise necessary to build out a quality site.

As an internet marketing consultant I talk to people everyday who are confused and uncertain on how they want to move their business forward in a web 2.0 world. “Should I spend money on a blog or should I consider building a high functioning website? Is there any way that I can bypass doing an SEO project?” The short answer is to be doing all of these things to position your business correctly. Wordpress lets the inexperienced and experienced test the web 2.0 waters without breaking the bank or driving themselves crazy. And now with the emergence of third party developers the sky is the limit on what Wordpress can do.

Web 2.0 is more than just blogs, widgets, social networking and podcast. It has become a mentality and a way of life for the masses that spend a majority of their day connected to the internet. I have personally thrown around and heard web 2.5 and web 3.0. So what are you to do if you just mastered text messaging and the concept of an RSS feed blows your mind? All you have to do is change your way of thinking and web 2.0 will follow.

On February 6, Exclusive Concepts re-launched our webinar series. The event itself was a success, focusing on SEO basics for yahoo stores. However, what was most surprising was the feedback from our audience. Everyone had an opinion and appreciated our follow up. The audience was filled with internet savvy marketers but there were also many first timers. For these first timers our webinar was their first taste of web 2.0 and they loved it and all they had to do was go to www.gotomeeting.com.

The lesson learned is that we are social creatures; whether we fly across the country to go to a conference or log on to a webinar, we all want to be a part of something. The web 2.0 rookie can now go back to his cohorts and brag about his webinar experience.

Find what city your competitors are located in, run a geo-targeted ad in that city to camouflage your real ad, and bid the geo-targeted ad real low (or real high) in order to throw them off.

This Free Webinar offers a case study that demonstrates the approach we took to bring an e-commerce store out of the supplemental index. We’ll discuss:

1) How to Diagnose the Google SEO problem
2) A logical framework for understanding the problem
3) Strategies we used to address the problem
4) Results we witnessed

Have you gone supplemental? Are you concerned that you may go supplemental? If so – attend this free Webinar!

Update: This Webinar is over, but check out our Webinar page for future Webinars.

SUMMARY: Effective web copy can boost both your sales and website rankings. Have you tweaked your web copy recently? If not, you’re letting business slip through your fingers. Attend our free webinar and receive 10 tips for improving your copy.

Register here.

Back to the Exclusive Concepts homepage.

https://www.gotomeeting.com/register/493621290

Exclusive Concepts is pleased to announce a new Webinar about about typical blogging and its shortcomings.

SUMMARY: A typical corporate blog is a good PR/Communications tool, but a typical blog strategy won’t get more people contacting you. We’ll offer suggestions for crafting a blog strategy that will generate more activity).

When: Friday, March 20 at 12:30 PM

Sign-up

This is a must-attend webinar for every marketer interested in improving results in 2007. We’ll provide real action-oriented suggestions for improving open rates and click-throughs. We’ll share our collection of best practices in e-mail newsletter design and delivery.

You can attend for free. It starts at 12:30PM EST (December 12).

Here is the sign-up link: https://www.gotomeeting.com/register/883332560